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Caleb Blackburn (Earth-1)
"In life, the road to darkness is a journey, not a light switch." Caleb Albert Plato Donovan Blackburn is an NPC in The Extras campaign. He was introduced in Episode 1 and has been a main character ever since. Caleb is a brilliant, misanthropic inventor and described "mad scientist". While possessing next to no social grace or tact, Caleb is one of the smartest people on the planet Earth and capable of not only comprehension of scientific theory and mathematical calculations far beyond his age or developmental stage would suggest, but he also has the knowledge to act on and invent impossible devices most scientists and science-fiction writers could only dream of. He is the ex-boyfriend of Margot Audley. Personality Caleb is a brilliant young inventor and literal genius with an IQ of 276. He is painfully awkward and shy around those he doesn't know very well; even around his only friend, Margot, Caleb is very awkward, with a tendency to stumble over his words or get lost in a thought. His high intelligence gives also makes him sound arrogant and this, combined with his lack of social tact, often makes other disdainful of him. Caleb's thoughtlessness when socializing often offends others, although he often doesn't pick up on the fact that he hurt them, becoming confused or frustrated. This has played a large part in why he avoids other people. He hates any situation in which he has to speak in public or anything else that puts him in the spotlight; he is quite happy being in the back, content to ignore and be ignored by others. Raised in a harsh family of wealth, culture and intelligence, and Caleb's somewhat conservative dress reflects this. He tends to wear simple clothes, favoring sweaters and slacks. He also has several long jackets, which he likes due to their similarity to lab coats (of which he has six, including a "dress coat", which is black). He is simple and modest in his dress, and while he possesses absolutely no artistic bent (he sees its merit but lacks the insight or empathy necessary to truly appreciate or create it) but he tends to be extravagant when it comes to designing his inventions and gadgets. Often adorning them with fins or other retro accessories or flairs. As a fan of science fiction, much of Caleb's science-related endeavors involve "impossible" applications, such as suits of powered armor, "laser rifles", x-ray goggles, fusion-propelled boots, invisibility cloaks and, hopefully one day, even a time machine or a TRON-like grid-world. While most would scoff at such ideas, calling them insane or impossible, Caleb will simply reply that people once thought that a round Earth, flying machines and cell-phones were impossible. All it took was one, great man to come along at the right time and invent them. Caleb believes he is that man for the modern era. His incredibly high intellect gives him a sense of superiority over others, and he doesn't see other people as really worth his time. Despite wanting to make the world a better place, Caleb has admitted to "hating" people, calling them "stupid" and "insignificant", and he has compared people to sheep, ants and babies. The only exception to this is Margot (see below), who he sees as his equal in many ways. Caleb's idea of an ideal living situation would be in an isolated "Moon Base". This is, in part, due to his hatred of people. Caleb is at his happiest when he's alone in his lab, and when he is there, he becomes a largely different person: full of confidence and even some charisma. When away from his lab, Caleb is often doodling equations and designing inventions that would make a quantum-physicist's head spin and is annoyed when people interrupt him. Caleb's passion and obsession is science. He understands every aspect of the world around him in scientific terms and to an extent, that applies to the ways he interacts with others. He doesn't believe in love, calling it a "series of bio-chemical reactions" that facilitate the human body's need to procreate. He doesn't believe in God, calling believing in such things as "faith" or religion similar to believing in "Santa Claus or Magic": something only children or the truly foolish do with sincerity. Because of this perspective, Caleb has a hard time relating to people and sees such sentimentality beneath him and he holds similar feelings about society and the modern world. He sees the world and the way it's run as an "idiotic waste of time" and harbors feelings that he could do better. Caleb's passion for science arose due to his crushingly lonely and tragic childhood. He was raised in the halls of his family's ancestral estate, where his only friends were his toys and his mother. It was his mother who helped his love of science mature into what it is today. She became sick when he was 10 with lung cancer. Caleb was crushed when there was nothing that could save her and her doctor told a raging Caleb there just "wasn't enough time". Anguished and enraged, Caleb vowed to "make time" and became obsessed with impossible technology, which was only furthered when Margaret died on his twelfth birthday. Now without any human connection, Caleb sank into his lab where his only friends were machines who could never die unless he decided they should die. Science became his god and he is becoming greatest prophet. This has resulted in Caleb's overarching desire--power. Not only the power over science, but the power over society and the power to be respected or even feared. This extends into his social interactions. He is often arrogant and continually--but subtly--reminds others that they are not as intelligent as he is. A way he often tries to maintain power in a relationship is by offering them help, but only on his terms. This includes finding out the truth about others, often investigating them without their knowledge. He cannot abide it when people hide knowledge from him. As long as he can maintain power through gifts and obligation, he protects them no matter what. As soon as he can no longer control a situation, that person becomes his enemy. Caleb views himself as a man of science who is on a search for truth, and who wants nothing more than to help people and humanity. He is blind to the idea that his help is purely conditional: if the person he's helping doesn't completely depend on him or reveal the entire truth about their background to him, he will turn on them completely and make them his enemy. Much of his personality seems to stem from his mother Margaret's loving care and his father Donovan's neglectful, unfulfilling upbringing. As a child, Caleb was very close to and protective of his ailing mother, yet fearful of his emotionally and physically abusive father whenever the latter criticized him harshly whenever he showed even the slightest weakness. Despite his parent's contradicting upbringing, he was always a quiet, kindhearted boy. After his mother's death, he became somewhat calloused and alienated. Despite his good heart and peaceful nature, Caleb harbors intense hatred toward the world and has a degree of self-obsession. He is almost incapable of seeing others aside from how they relate to him and harbors a strange belief that many actions others take are designed to hurt him, though he does a good job of hiding it. Even if he does not admit it, Caleb sees the world as a big resource there to serve his research and purposes. Conversely, Caleb is very stubborn and is nearly incapable of admitting his mistakes and is cannot accept responsibility for his own actions, often blaming Rick or his father for his failings or even accusing them of sabotaging his actions. Since becoming involved in the world of Extrahuman powers, Caleb is finally finding his niche in the world. Uniquely suited to studying and understanding superpowers, Caleb's enthusiastic love of the science and physics of powers allows him to exist comfortably around the extrahumans and in many cases, he is able to design devices that enhance and compliment--as well as counter and negate--such powers. Caleb secretly believes that while such individuals are miracles of science and capable of many useful purposes, he also inherently understands how dangerous they are and he is determined to be ready to make the first strike before they turn on the world, should the time or need arise. History Born the only son of billionaire CEO and scientist of Donovan Blackburn, Caleb was always an outcast. Frail and sickly, Caleb was never the son that Donovan wanted. Coddled by his mother, Caleb was further ignored and scorned by his father, despite his early grasp of numbers and clear signs of intelligence. Caleb's first memory is watching the gears of a clock. He never made friends in pre-school or Kindergarten, preferring to sit by himself and make complex structures out of blocks and legos or dismantle toys in order to figure out how to put them back together. At home, he would commonly take old or unwanted items his parents would throw out and sneak them down into the basement so he could figure out ways to make them useful again. He presented his father with an automatic neck-tie holster when he was six, to which his father scoffed and threw it out. However, he later marketed that exact idea in his company and through the years stole many of his sons' ideas, which caused Caleb to become very secretive and paranoid about his work. When he was 9, Caleb found an old computer and took it. Using that and several other electronics, Caleb designed v.1.0 of the R.I.T.A. system: his robotic assistant and only friend for many years. He has continued to modify and update her throughout the years to the point that she is now of post-human intelligence. His mother, Margaret, was diagnosed with lung cancer when Caleb was 10. He was confident that science would find a way to save his mother and was subsequently crushed when she never got better. Enraged, Caleb confronted her doctor, who told him that nothing could save Margaret and all they could do was make her comfortable. Caleb insisted that they could find a way to which the doctor replied "There isn't enough time". Caleb vowed to make time, then and became obsessive in his research and invention. He never found a way to save Margaret, who died on Caleb's twelfth birthday. Caleb gave up all social connections after that and devoted his life entirely to science. During his adolescence, Donovan continued to ridicule and ignore Caleb due to his frailty and lack of athleticism. Caleb responded by creating devices that cured his asthema and poor eye sight, but this gained him no love from his father. By today, Caleb has largely given up trying to make his father proud. In late 2011, Caleb and his family moved from Westchester, New York to Northampton, Washington. His father literally shipped their house over, brick by brick simply because he could. This unstated display of power to the community caused Caleb to resent his father even further as it not only continued Donovan's longstanding display of power over him, but it caused the entire community to resent Caleb simply for his father's arrogance. That year, he enrolled in Olympus Academy, a charter school of the arts (as Donovan decided that a small, artistic school would be good for Caleb), which Caleb resented all the more. He hates the students there, he hates the power struggle between the popular kids and he hates that he has neither respect nor power there (though he would never admit this, even to himself). He was continually approached by Rick Bythesea and Ezra Peets to hang out, which he continually spurned. The summer after, Donovan denied Caleb's request to attend a scientific conference in Los Angeles just because Caleb was sixteen. He took up a hobby of visiting the local gaming store and internet cafe--''Mage Net''--to repair and upgrade their equipment, a service he does for free. This past fall, Caleb has returned to Olympus Academy (much to his chagrin), unaware that his life was about to change forever. Notable Accomplishments *Designed many impossible inventions and gadgets. *Implimented the R.I.T.A. system v.01 (circa 2007). *Designed prisons to hold superhuman inmates (circa 2009) *Second place in Sophomore Science Fair (Spring 2012) *Caused the Storm that gave many people super powers (Flux, S01E01) *Disappeared from Northampton and became the Professor (Party, S01E05) *Organized The Fix's Operation (Throughout Season 2) *Hi-jacked semi-truck filled with Axiomite (prior to S02E10, ''Unity) *Staged jailbreaks at every superhuman prison in the USA (''Fix, ''S02E12) *Formed '''Oblivion' (between Fix, S02E12 and Oblivion part 1; S02E13) Notable Victories *Jasper Marten Murdered (Party, S01E05) *Maxwell Puckett (Memory, S01E09) *Rick Bythesea Murdered (Memory, S01E09) *Justicar (Seeds, S01E10) Relationships with Others Caleb hates social interactions, but there are a few people with whom he has a meaningful relationship--both good and bad. Caleb and Donovan have a fraught relationship due to the latter's forceful and cruel parenting to the former. Donovan sees himself as the ruler of a great business empire, grooming Caleb to take over someday. Donovan frequently tests Caleb in order to build his guile and resourcefulness.Donovan was occasionally a violent father as he once grabbed Caleb and threw him into a table when Donovan thought his son was lying to him about peeking into his briefcase (when in actuality it was Margaret). While Caleb's parents argued amongst each other, Caleb was torn between them. When Caleb was twelve years old, his mother died and Donovan dismissed the nanny. While he told Caleb that she left because she had just inherited a lot of money and wanted nothing more to do with the family, in reality, Donovan didn't want her influencing the upbringing of his son, fearing that he was not ruthless enough to take over from him at Donovan Enterprises someday. During Caleb's childhood and early teenage years, Donovan stole many ideas and inventions from his son, which has caused Caleb to become secretive to the point of paranoia about his inventions. Donovan even exerts power over Caleb's relationship with Margot, albeit subtly and never when Margot is around, by planting seeds of doubt in Caleb's mind. Their entire relationship is one based on lies, secrecy and a struggle for power. Donovan acts more of a cruel teacher or antagonist to his son and Caleb resents and hates him for it. The Remote Intelligence and Technological Assistant system, or R.I.T.A for short, is Caleb's best friend (and for many years, his only friend). She often acts like a mother to Caleb, and serves as his assistant and confidant. She cares deeply for him and is very protective of him and he of her. Caleb loves R.I.T.A. like a family member and in truth considers her family, though he would never say that to Margot for fear that she think him a freak. In truth, she is unaware of just how close he is with his computerized friend. Margot Audley was his only other friend and his first girlfriend. While initially confused by her continued advancements, he quickly became enamored with her as he helped her understand her powers and as of their attending the plays Cats together, he developed romantic feelings for her. Caleb is deeply impressed by Margot; by her never-say-die attitude, enthusiasm, gentle spirit, bravery, intellect and incredible genius in the theatrical arts. He views her as one of the only people worth his time and in many ways, he views her as his equal. He sees Margot as a "god among ants" and genuinely believes she is better than "the rest of them". He cares deeply for her and is very protective of her, and he enjoys the rush he gets from her reaction to his experiments and he likes making her smile. He finds in her a kindred spirit and viable partner and knows that with her help, the can change the world into anything they want. He is embittered and hurt due to her leaving him and is determined to get her back no matter the cost. Rick Bythesea, on the other hand, is Caleb's self-described nemesis. He dislikes Rick, more so than most people and this is only in part due to Rick's friendship with Margot and their perceived rivalry. Caleb had an intense feeling of pride at having become her boyfriend and he reminded Rick of that more than once. He was paranoid that Rick was trying to break he and Margot up and over time grew to genuinely hate him. Now that Margot left him, he is convinced it was RIck's doing and manipulation that drove them apart and is planning on removing him from the equation. Powers and Abilities While not extrahuman, Caleb does possess a few useful traits, that are both natural and scientific in origin: *'Elevated Immune System:' While not invulnerable to sickness, Caleb's exposure to his VigorSerum when he was thirteen has given him a borderline-superhuman immune system. As a result, he hasn't been sick ever since that day, as the serum increased his white blood cell count, making him immune to common colds, fevers, viruses, and other ailments. *'Intelligence:' Caleb's greatest asset is his near-superhuman levels of intelligence. Possessing an IQ of 276, Caleb is one of the smartest people in the world. He is capable of comprehending highly advanced science and mathematics, as well as capable of implementing said sciences with ease. He also possesses keen business sense and is an amazing tactician. His access to resources, advanced technology and manpower allow him to hold his own against any opponent, directly and indirectly, whether superpowered or not. Paraphernelia Caleb's main operation comes from the use of various equipment and gear, most of them invented and constructed by himself. Equipment Caleb has many signature weapons and other equipment. Much of it is operated through the use of Zeta energy. *'Anti-Gravity Boots:' These boots look like army combat boots with metal covering the tips of the toes and all along the bottom of the boot. Besides reinforcing the toes when kicking, the boots come with advanced anti-gravity properties, utilized by setting off a pulse that counters the Earth's own magnetic pull. This allows Caleb to hover but not truly fly. Alternatively, he can activate rockets that are powered by Zeta, which allows him to fly almost indefinitely. This flying is somewhat clumsy, however. *'FistiGons: '''These futuristic-looking gauntlets fit over Caleb's forearm, stopping midway between the wrist and the elbow. These gauntlets are attuned with his DNA, meaning that only he can use them. **'Computer Interface: The gauntlets include a miniature, holographic computer that is capable of interfacing with computers and connecting to the internet wirelessly through Wi-Fi. The screen is a glowing, red holographic touch-screen interface, allowing quick and easy use. This function also comes with a USB cable and a 50 Terrabyte hard drive. **'Enhanced Strength: '''The gauntlets enhance Caleb's natural strength, giving him upper-body strength equivilent to a professional athlete. ' ' **'Flamethrower: The gauntlets are fitted with enough fuel so that, in a tight case, the gauntlets can let loose a jet of fire about 15 feet long. Each fist has enough fuel to unleash fire three times each. **'Force Field: '''The left gauntet is fitted with a force shield generator. When activated, it generates a hard-light shield that surrounds him in a small, spherical shield. This shield is usually good enough to protect Caleb from most forms of ranged attacks. **'Increased Velocity Punch:' When Caleb punches, the gauntlets let loose a small boost of energy, adding extra velocity to the punch, increasing its effectiveness. *'Grenades: Caleb has constructed a number of novel grenades that have a number of properties. They include EMP grenades, Corrosive Grenades, Thermite Grenades and Hypersonic-Concussive Grenades. *'''Power Staff: This slender, golden staff is about six and a half feet long, with two, pronged protrusions situated at the top. A small, red sphere of energy pulsates between these prongs at the tip of the staff. The weapon is extremely well made and can be used for offense and defense, and is Caleb's primary mode of attack. **'Blackout:' The staff is capable of letting off a blackout blast, which negates any electrical systems and technology in the radius for several minutes at a time. **'Emp Blast: '''The staff is capable of sending out a blast of intense, electro-magnetic energy. This blast is blue in color and can be used to harm robots and biodroids. **'Radio: This function allows Caleb to not only communicate with others through way of radio, but also allows him to listen into radio signals and acts as a police scanner. **'''Zeta Blast: The staff is able to fire a charged blast of zeta energy from its tip. This energy is different from Margot's, as it is much more concentrated and intensified. This red energy blast is lethal, unlike Margot's own blasts. *'Sci-Goggles: '''These futuristic goggles are fitted over Caleb's face. They seem to be linked to the gauntlets and only work if the gauntlets are activated. Thus, only Caleb can use them. **'HUD System:' The goggles give Rick data directly on the lenses (only he can see it) that indicates his gear's charge, shield efficiency and his overall health. It also comes equipped with a targeting system. **'Night Vision Filter:' The goggles have a night vision filter that allows him to see in the dark like night-vision goggles. **'Spectral Vision Filter:' The goggles have a spectral filter that allows him to view wireless signals, enhance his low-light vision and allow him to see through thin sheets of fabric. **'X-Ray Vision Filter: The goggles have an X-Ray Vision filter that allows him to view the world as if through a literal x-ray machine. Weaknesses Caleb also has many weaknesses that inhibit him in some way. *'''Arrogance: Caleb is very arrogant and believes that he is rarely wrong. He believes that if he is wrong, it is due to others and never his own mistakes or wrongdoing. *'Lack of Empathy:' Caleb is unable to interact with other people in any meaningful way and often sees them only as numbers. *'Misanthropy:' Caleb harbors a general hatred, mistrust and disdain of the human species and human nature. *'Weak:' Caleb is physically weak, even by non-powered standards. Notes *Caleb's Play-by actor is Freddie Highmore. *Caleb's name means "Devoted Faith". Trivia *Locker was 001 grade *Favorite movie is TRON: Legacy. *Favorite band is Daft Punk. *His favorite color is green. *Caleb does not have a favorite animal or television show. *Favorite author is Carl Sagan. *Caleb has cured his own asthema, poor eyesight and several allergies thanks to his inventions, such as the VigorSerum and the EyePod. Category:Humans Category:Oblivion Category:Scientists Category:Gadgets Category:Neutral Evil Characters Category:Extras Category:Extras Season 1 Category:Extras Season 2 Category:Villains Category:Extras Villains Category:Olympus Academy Students Category:Native of Earth-1 Category:Male Characters Category:Blackburn Family